The future of the Amazon uncertain

For ten years, the fate of Brazil’s forests have hung in the balance as the future of the Forest Code has been up for grabs. We’ve see the debate over the law come to a head over the last few years, as the agribusiness sector pressed the Congress for major changes to the law and the scientific community and 80 percent of the public opposed drastic changes to the law.

Today, President Dilma has ignored the call of the people of Brazil and taken final steps to approve a new law that opens the Amazon up for destruction.

President Dilma Rouseff announced today, approval of the provisional measures of the new Forest Code with 9 partial vetoes, making the law that has protected the Amazon for almost 70 years a thing of the past, paving the way for new areas of expansion for the agribusiness sector and granting amnesty for past forest criminals. Vetoes sound like a a drastic measure but in reality they will do nothing new to protect the Amazon.

With deforestation rates over the past few months higher than last year and with not one new provision for Amazon protection or to fight deforestation in the new Forest Code, Brazilians are taking action. In March, a petition for a zero deforestation law in Brazil was launched.

Just a few months later, over 600,000 people have signed onto the citizen’s initiative. According to Brazil’s laws, if 1.4 million people support the Zero Deforestation inititive, it could become law.

This is a timely article. My friend Patricio Jipa of the Sani Isla Kichwa peoples is in danger after uncovering deceit by PetroAmazonas. He and his En...

This is a timely article. My friend Patricio Jipa of the Sani Isla Kichwa peoples is in danger after uncovering deceit by PetroAmazonas. He and his English wife, Mari, are fighting to save the Sanu Isla virgin rainforest. They may only have until 27th October to do this. There have been two articles in the Guardian (UK) http://gu.com/p/3b6ag/em
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/16/community-protect-amazon-home
but, more importantly, please sign and spread the Avaaz petition - we need to get a large petition to President Correa of Ecuador.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_oil_companies_from_deceiving_indigenous_peoples/?tViDHab

Post a comment

OPTIONAL: Register to avoid filling out forms each time you post a comment
Sign Up Here
login via Facebook or Google

(Unregistered) Albano Moura
says:

It's a very complex social situation that Brazil lives today, the poor public investment in education (a public teacher earns from 600 dollars to ...

It's a very complex social situation that Brazil lives today, the poor public investment in education (a public teacher earns from 600 dollars to 1200 a month) is trapped under a very specific and precise way of governing, that mixes mandatory voting, a large state with high taxes and high-paid public jobs that lead to expensive politicians (all of them, deputys, governors, senators, mayors), part of them corrupted or with no administration techniques, and affiliation with television networks for expensive broadcasting time during elections. We have culturally and historically mixed our races, but there is still a huge economic and social inequality, that of course includes populations of non-caucasian cultures, but that makes discrimination very silent and disguised. Brazil is a country of caucasian, indian, black, asian, people who are living together, many in the tight rope of having no quality public health and decent education for your kids, working all day long and earning 500, 600 hundred dollars a month. The thing is we still can smile to our beautiful country and dance over our problems, that's why we are nice, hospitable people, and the world started to appreciate, come here and enjoy our country and its amazing sites. What many of the brazilians don't see, some for lack of education and some for pure selfish stupidity, is that our nature is the real and special secret, such as the amazon forest. If we keep our education the way it is, we will always be seen as a country that doesn't take itself seriously. I have to say, to sum up, that as a brazilian i know many of us are innovating and smart people who will certainly guide this nation to a rich and decent future, we know we are a huge country who have resource enough to accomplish this. i love Brazil with all my heart and hope, I wish to be able to see a country where everyone can live a decent life. We are not indifferent!!

Post a comment

OPTIONAL: Register to avoid filling out forms each time you post a comment
Sign Up Here
login via Facebook or Google

(Unregistered) gerrard
says:

and also amazon's ecosystem will get problems. so effects will be break food chain, climatic change, natural disaster etc.
A lot of problems...

and also amazon's ecosystem will get problems. so effects will be break food chain, climatic change, natural disaster etc.
A lot of problems will appear if amazon damaged.
so we should save the amazon!